When the first diamond frame bicycles became popular in the 1890s they were often called "wheels" - the national cycling association was called the "League of American Wheelmen." We have moved from "wheels" to "bikes," but the bicycles have remained remarkably the same over more than 100 years - elegant in their efficiency and simplicity. And many of the issues that we think are new? They were around then too.

Spalding's Official Bicycle Guide for 1899 was digitized at the Library of Congress and is available from the Internet Archive. The publication is at once a review of the top bicycle racers at the time and advice for the novice. There is rather amusing analysis of bike saddle design based on anatomical features, with skeletal bottoms pearched on various saddles.

The "advice" seems to find much wrong with the person receiving the advice, sight unseen. For example, on the subject of "Why Chains Often Break" we read:

The reasons for this trouble are various, but tradesmen hold to the opinion that it is mostly the chains on cheap wheels which have been neglected all winter that break in the spring. They are rusty and worn, and consequently weaker than they were. When taken out on the road without being cleaned or adjusted the dust gets in them and tightens them up so that an extra strain is imposed, under which they part. Another cause is the erratic pedalling of riders who have never learned how to properly manipulate their feet on a bicycle. The top stretch of the chain is allowed to slacken and is then tightened sud- denly by a violent thrust. Then it snaps.

So if your chain breaks, it is because you bought a cheap bike and then didn't take good care of it as well, so it's all your fault.

One thing that has changed is that at that time "chainless" drive was considered to be the new advanced approach (with a drive shaft, rather than chain). The bikes in this catalog with shaft drive cost significantly more, and although it wasn't apparently possible to discern this at the time readily, were less efficient, so perhaps it is not surprising that it never really caught on.

From time to time different companies try to revive "chainless" bikes with shaft drive, but as long as the main power source is the rider, it seems unlikely to catch on. (Perhaps when bikes with powered assist are more common it will do better.)

Photos of a typical commute home on Flickr taken with a camera I attached to the handlebars of my bike. The results aren't fabulous but better than I expected for a Nikon CoolPix (and given the bouncy aspect of it all).

Tim Paterek is a retired framebuilder who published a detailed guide to how to build steel bicycle frames. There is lots of good information about sizing bicycles and how to understand aspects of bicycle design in addition to the "how to build" info.

Paterek Manual is a PDF of the first edition, which he has made available apparently because Paterek was annoyed that a Russian pirate was offering it.

One of my favorite bits so far is the guidance for the distance from the front end of the saddle to the front of the stem is "one cubit" - which is the distance from the elbow to the end of the fingers (and specific to an individual, naturally).